I don’t have any elaborate predictions about new products, so I’ll keep this simple.

Although I think it is highly probable that the rumors of a lightweight (MacBook Air?) are true, I’m more interested in the future of the MacBook Pro line. Yes…small and light portable computing is very cool, and so are fast desktop machines and whatever the new iMac case of the year may be, but what I most care about most is about the power-user laptops.

So here is my prediction:

  1. New MacBook Pro case design: I mean, it has been WAY too long since the current aluminum design has been around. Not that it needs to change, but this is Apple we are talking about.
  2. Metal is out: I believe the metal case for the Pro line may be a thing of the past. Metal looks great, but for those who do not baby their laptops this means a dented laptop isn’t a matter of “if” but “when”. I have seen way too many of these aluminum casing laptops dented to the point they will not even properly close. I think some other material (plastic, carbon fiber?) may replace the aluminum as the new shell for the MacBook Pro line. Wouldn’t plastic be better for increased wireless range (think WiFi and Bluetooth)? Wouldn’t plastic handle a bump or a short fall better than metal?

So there you have it. As obvious as prediction #1 is, I’m yet to really read many people even talking about the possible fate of the MacBook Pro line. Is everyone simply focusing on what this new product might be, and 3G iPhones?